6533b827fe1ef96bd12863c9
RESEARCH PRODUCT
DON’T GET CAUGHT ON THE WRONG FOOT: A RESOURCE-BASED PERSPECTIVE ON IMITATION THREATS IN INNOVATION PARTNERSHIPS
Erk Peter PieningTorsten Oliver SalgeJ. Nils Foegesubject
Strategy and Managementmedia_common.quotation_subject05 social sciencesVulnerabilityAppropriationResource (project management)Management of Technology and InnovationGeneral partnership0502 economics and businessResource-based viewEconomicsPortfolio050211 marketingBusiness and International ManagementMarketingImitation050203 business & managementOpen innovationmedia_commondescription
Innovation partnerships can be a double-edged sword. While they are important vehicles for learning and value creation, such partnerships also increase a firm’s vulnerability to unintended knowledge leakage and imitation by others. In this study, we go beyond previous research by studying the imitation threats induced by innovation partnership portfolios rather than individual alliances. Drawing on the resource-based view, we develop and test a model that links salient structural attributes of partnership portfolios and distinct forms of imitation. Results from our analysis of 803 German manufacturing firms support our prediction that a firm’s probability of being imitated increases with the partnership variety of its portfolio. We also find that firms can mitigate this threat by carefully selecting innovation partners and using appropriation mechanisms.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-03-24 | International Journal of Innovation Management |